Hong Kong Part 2

Many cities we are visiting on this trip are water cities. Of course, Hong Kong is one of these: its harbour has determined much of its history and its shape. We were lucky to have two trips on the harbour during our short visit.

The first trip was an evening cruise, down the harbour and back.

Not on this boat..

or this one...

but this somewhat less atmospheric craft served us well.

It was a balmy evening, and the lights of Hong Kong made the trip magical.

We returned to the land for a road trip to Aberdeen village and a meal on the Jumbo floating restaurant. Floating restaurants have a long history in Hong Kong, but this huge 2000-seat structure may be one of the last. As we were on a tour, we had a 'special' set menu, so I can't comment on the standard of the food normally served - we found it pretty ordinary. There were certainly a lot of local families there, so I guess they enjoy it. One of the oddest things was the walk between the holding tanks (called the aquarium) before the meal; they were filled with the fish to be served at the tables. I suppose this is to assure diners that their meal is freshly caught, but it did feel a bit strange.

Our second harbour trip was to Lan Tau Island. This was a really amazing day, spoiled only by the rain which made it impossible for us to go up in the cable car. Despite being very close to the airport, Lan Tau is almost completely a nature reserve, and the few local residents fight hard to keep it that way. We drove all over the island in a few hours, including a trip to the huge statue of the Buddha and Lan Tau Monastery.

We finished our time on Lan Tau with a visit to a small fishing village in the south. It was a memorable day, despite the monsoonal storm that bucketed down late in the afternoon.